touch

1verbIf you touch something, you put your hand onto it in order to feel it or to make contact with it.Her tiny hands gently touched my face...V nThe virus is not passed on through touching or shaking hands.V-ingTouch is also a noun., n-countusu singSometimes even a light touch on the face is enough to trigger off this pain.

2v-recipIf two things are touching, or if one thing touches another, or if you touch two things, their surfaces come into contact with each other.Their knees were touching ...pl-n VA cyclist crashed when he touched wheels with another rider...V pl-n with nIf my arm touches the wall, it has to be washed again...V nIn some countries people stand close enough to touch elbows...V pl-nHe touched the cow's side with his stick.V n with n

3n-uncountYour sense of touch is your ability to tell what something is like when you feel it with your hands.The evidence suggests that our sense of touch is programmed to diminish with age.

4verbTo touch something means to strike it, usually quite gently.As the aeroplane went down the runway the wing touched a pile of rubble.V n

5verbIf something has not been touched, nobody has dealt with it or taken care of it.usu passive, with brd-negWhen John began to restore the house in the 1960s, nothing had been touched for 40 years.be V-ed

6verbIf you say that you did not touch someone or something, you are emphasizing that you did not attack, harm or destroy them, especially when you have been accused of doing so.with brd-neg(emphasis)
Pearce remained adamant, saying `I didn't touch him'...V nI was in the garden. I never touched the sandwiches.V n

7verbYou say that you never touch something or that you have not touched something for a long time to emphasize that you never use it, or you have not used it for a long time.no passive, with brd-neg(emphasis)
He doesn't drink much and doesn't touch drugs...V n

8verbIf you touch on a particular subject or problem, you mention it or write briefly about it.The film touches on these issues, but only superficially...V on/upon n

9verbIf something touches you, it affects you in some way for a short time....a guilt that in some sense touches everyone...V n

10verbIf something that someone says or does touches you, it affects you emotionally, often because you see that they are suffering a lot or that they are being very kind.
(=move)It has touched me deeply to see how these people live...it V n to-infHer enthusiasm touched me.V n♦
touchedadjv-link ADJI was touched to find that he regards me as engaging...

11verbIf something is touched with a particular quality, it has a certain amount of that quality.WRITTENusu passiveHis crinkly hair was touched with grey...be V-ed with nThe boy was touched with genius.be V-ed with n

12verbIf you say about someone that nobody can touch him or her for a particular thing, you mean that he or she is much better at it than anyone else.no cont, no passive, with brd-negNo one can touch these girls for professionalism.V n for n, Also V n

14n-countA touch is a detail which is added to something to improve it.supp NThey called the event `a tribute to heroes', which was a nice touch...

15n-singIf someone has a particular kind of touch, they have a particular way of doing something.with suppThe dishes he produces all have a personal touch...

16quantA touch of something is a very small amount of it.QUANT of n-uncountShe thought she just had a touch of flu...

17You can use a touch to mean slightly or to a small extent, especially in order to make something you say seem less extreme. For example, if you say that something is a touch expensive, you might really think that it is very expensive.(mainly BRIT)♦
a touchphrasePHR adj/adv/prep(vagueness)
(=a bit)We were all a touch uneasy, I think..., I found it a touch distasteful.

18→
touching

19You use at the touch of in expressions such as at the touch of a button and at the touch of a key to indicate that something is possible by simply touching a switch or one of the keys of a keyboard.♦
at the touch ofphrasePHR n, usu PHR after vStaff will be able to trace calls at the touch of a button.

20If you say that someone has the common touch, you mean that they have the natural ability to have a good relationship with ordinary people and be popular with them.♦
common touchphraseusu PHR after v(approval)

21If you get in touchwith someone, you contact them by writing to them or telephoning them. If you are, keep, or stay in touchwith them, you write, phone, or visit each other regularly.♦
in touchphrasePHR after v, v-link PHR, usu PHR with nThe organisation would be in touch with him tomorrow...

22If you are in touchwith a subject or situation, or if someone keeps you in touchwith it, you know the latest news or information about it. If you are out of touchwith it, you do not know the latest news or information about it.♦
in touch/out of touchphrasePHR after v, v-link PHR, usu PHR with n...keeping the unemployed in touch with the labour market..., Mr Cavazos' problem was that he was out of touch.

24If you lose touchwith something, you no longer have the latest news or information about it.♦
lose touchphraseV inflects, usu PHR with nTheir leaders have lost touch with what is happening in the country.

25If you say that something is touch and go, you mean that you are uncertain whether it will happen or succeed.♦
touch and gophrasev-link PHR, oft PHR whIt was touch and go whether we'd go bankrupt.

26If you say that someone is a soft touch or an easy touch, you mean that they can easily be persuaded to lend you money or to do things for you.INFORMAL♦
a soft touch/an easy touchphrasev-link PHRPamela was an easy touch when she needed some cash.

27→
would not touch someone or something with a barge pole→
barge pole→
the finishing touch→
finish→
touch wood→
woodtouch downphrasal verbWhen an aircraft touches down, it lands.
(=land)Spacecraft Columbia touched down yesterday...V Ptouch offphrasal verbIf something touches off a situation or series of events, it causes it to start happening.
(=spark off)Is the massacre likely to touch off a new round of violence?V P n (not pron), Also V n P

out of touch

1adjSomeone who is out of touchwith a situation is not aware of recent changes in it.v-link ADJ, oft ADJ with nWashington politicians are out of touch with the American people...

2adjIf you are out of touch with someone, you have not been in contact with them recently and are not familiar with their present situation.v-link ADJ, oft ADJ with nJames wasn't invited. We've been out of touch for years.

touch paper, touchpaperIf someone lights the touch paper or lights the blue touch paper, they do something which causes anger or excitement.(BRIT, JOURNALISM)♦
light the (blue) touch paperphraseV inflectsThis kind of remark is guaranteed to light the blue touch paper with some Labour politicians.

touch-screen(touch-screensplural)A touch-screen is a computer screen that allows the user to give commands to the computer by touching parts of the screen rather than by using the keyboard or mouse.(COMPUTING)n-countoft N n

touch-toneA touch-tone telephone has numbered buttons that make different sounds when you press them. Some automatic telephone services can only be used with this kind of telephone.adjADJ n

1. Los Angeles or Hollywood, especially with regard to the film and television industry, in their reputed glamour and trendiness 2. a fanciful state or dreamworld [bein la-la land = a state of being out of touchwith reality]

[US] [informal] 1. She's very fond of stories about life in la-la land 2. He's unrealistic about these issues and looks like he's in la-la land the whole time

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